Skin Type and Essential Face Care

This beauty section is for you if you are determined to take care of yourself and want to make the most of your natural good looks. When you are quite frankly bewildered, or even completely bogged down by the claims and promises of the cosmetics world, it pays to get back to basics.

Remember that every beauty problem has a practical, natural solution. Every women who believes that a little effort and knowledge can make her more attractive and confident, whatever her good and bad points, will find this section infinitely more valuable than an unlimited supply of make-up and skin care products. It can be the key to new horizons, to new ways of seeing yourself, as well as to a new look and a new lifestyle. Don’t rush things. Just take a section at a time.

No woman can be truly beautiful unless she adopts a healthy approach to eating as a way of life. The ideal daily diet should provide an adequate intake of all the essential nutrients for optimum health and vitality. It should be high in proteins, vitamins, minerals and essential oils and controlled in calories. And you’ll find that the foods that do you good inside are often the same ones that do you good outside as well.

Daily Beauty Routine

A daily beauty routine plays a vital role in maintaining gloriously healthy good looks. Just as important as nightly cleansing, is your first-thing-in-the-morning routine. Your skin continues to work while you sleep, picking up bacteria and tiny particles of dust. Always make sure your hands are spotlessly clean when touching your face. When applying make-up, moisturizers for cleansers use just the tips of the fingers to reduce the chances of spreading any infection.

Regular exercise is essential not only for a healthy, beautiful body but also for mental well-being. Only a few activities, like swimming, skipping, netball or fencing, tone all the muscles.

Recognising skin types

Dry Skin

Affects a high percentage of fair skinned women. Skin is usually thin, with a dry, taut appearance. Cells do not hold adequate natural oils or maintain proper moisture levels which creates early fine lines and premature wrinkling.

Combination skin

Is the true skin type of the majority of women. Produces too much oil in the T-zone : forehead, nose and chin, whilst the rest of the face is normal to dry.

Oily skin

Skin shines and often has enlarged pores. It tends to have blemishes and is prone to acne. Patches of caked-up oil are often mistaken for dry skin.

Mature skin

As natural oil and moisture levels drop, fine lines develop into deeper wrinkles putting this skin type into a super-dry category.

Young skin / Teenage skin

Puberty and hormonal changes can result in oil skin with blackheads and possibly acne.

The 3 essential steps

Cleansers

Contain specific oils which act as mild solvents to grease and grime.

Toners

Contain mainly purified water plus either alcohol for stronger astringency or witch hazel for a milder effect causing the skin to contract – tightening the pores and refreshing.

Moisturisers

The oils used form an occlusive, protective film on the skin’s surface to help prevent moisture loss and to attract moisture to the skin from the atmosphere.

The need for skin care

Diet

A healthy diet with an adequate supply of fresh fruit, vegetables and at least a litre of fresh water daily.

Exercise

Even a brisk daily walk will keep the circulation at its peak thus maintaining the overall health of the body.

Lifestyle

A positive outlook with a sunny disposition promotes an inner beauty

The face

Whether you holiday at home or abroad, the change can disrupt your skin. A dry atmosphere, strong sunlight or extremes of temperature can all be the culprits. For the skin, the most damaging is a holiday climate of cold, dry air, as in mountain regions, or desert-like, hot, dry conditions. More moisturizer and less frequent cleansing combat the first. In the heat, you will also need to use plenty of moisturizer to replace what is washed away by increased perspiration. In areas where the water is hard and contains chemicals use cleansing lotion rather than soap and water.

There are other general rules to remember. Wherever the water is hard and contains chemicals, avoid soap-and-water cleansing; use a cleansing lotion instead. Never wash your face immediately you come in from the cold or just before you go out, as it will increase the tautness of the skin. If you want to cleanse, use cream or lotion instead. Wear lipstick or gloss during the winter to protect your lips.

In winter, anyone who skis knows that it is simply asking for trouble to venture on to the slopes without wearing adequate skin protection. But even at less exalted altitudes all areas of exposed skin need constantly looking after if they are to weather the winter successfully. Of course, where hands are concerned, gloves of both the warm and woolly, and rubber varieties are effective buffers between the skin and climatic and household (mostly harsh detergent) influences; hand creams and lotions are a second line of defence. But our faces rely almost totally on the protection that cosmetics and skin care products provide. These preparations deflect blasts of cold air and the sun’s damaging rays and also help combat the drying effects of air conditioning and central heating. Moisturizer is a ‘must’ whether it is being applied to soothe the dry, scaly or flaky skin condition called windburn – which tends to be the aftermath of a reckless (in skin care terms) skiing holiday – or simply helping to keep the skin in optimum health day in, day out, all year through.

Sunscreens are mandatory in winter or summer sunshine. In addition to turning you brown, the sun can dry your skin and make it look older than it should. Tanning attractively means being sensible about protection. Your skin should be pre-conditioned before you spend time outdoors. Apply moisturizer in addition to sunscreen, as necessary. Choose make-up that contains a sun filter to be extra-sure of protection. It makes sense too to consider an after-sun product; otherwise be prepared for extra-lavish application of your usual moisturizer. In fact, many dermatologists now advocate the use of sunscreen products all year round on the basis that unavoidable everyday exposure of face, neck and hands can prematurely age the skin. They are concerned not only about UVB rays – the traditional burning ones – but UVA rays as well. These are the longer, more deeply penetrating rays which are becoming increasingly implicated in the early appearance of wrinkles, broken blood vessels and other ageing effects.

Although the ageing process can never actually be reversed, it can be slowed down considerably by the correct and regular use of relevant skin care products. Read the labels on the preparations carefully, making sure you understand the instructions, instead of just slapping them on carelessly. Form the habit of caring for your skin on a daily basis.

This is the average pattern of skin development to expect : in your twenties and thirties you’ll probably have normal/dry or combination skin. By the mid-thirties, most skins have dried out to some extent, and may be prone to sallowness. Dryness has etched criss-cross lines in the skin; very dry, red patches may appear, particularly on cheeks and forehead. Your face registers every emotion, and by now it will show in your skin. Take care that you are not habitually frowning or screwing up your face. In your early forties expect normal/dry, or dry, or dry/sensitive skin. Be on the look-out for deeper lines around your eyed. Your throat is likely to be looking more crepey. Dry or dry/sensitive or ageing skin is most common for mid-forties and over. A conscientious skin care routine is essential to prevent your skin drying out completely. Sallow skin may start to look greyish, whilst purplish blotches may appear, caused by broken surface capillaries. Muscles become less firm, making the jawline heavier and the corners of the mouth droopy. Neck and throat, too, may sag a little, and become more lined. Many of these faults may be improved by massaging gently with rich cream.

It is important to remember that face care should include your neck and the area under your chin and that the sides of your face are just as important as the portion you can see full face in the mirror.

The first areas to show signs of ageing are the nostrils, the oiliest part of the face, and the eyes, the driest. Nose-to-mouth lines and creases around the eye area are warnings to treat these zones with kid gloves. Because the thin skin around your eyes is not protected by bone structure and supporting tissues, it is particularly fragile and extra care should be taken when applying products. Use the tips of your fingers, patting gently without dragging the skin